Poetry Quiz

pattern, arrangement of language, rhythm, the expression of emotion or feeling, and concentration or intensity in that expression

fixed verse

adheres to a template or formula which demands strict adherence to established guidelines for that form (ex. haiku must be composed of 3 lines, the first line must have 5 syllables, the second 7, the third 5; if it doesn’t it’s not a haiku)

free verse

poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter, rhythm, or regular rhyme scheme

narrative poetry

like a novel or a short story (tells a story); it has a plot related by a narrator, it has characters, settings, etc.)

epic

(narrative) a lengthy poem concerning heroic deeds and events significant to a nation or culture

ballad

(narrative) a short narrative poem often set to music and pertaining to a legend or myth

idyll

(narrative) short narrative poem describing a scene from rustic life

dramatic poetry

describes play written in verse; any poem that consists wholly of dialogue among characters, unmediated or minimally mediated by a narrator

lyric poetry

poems expressing the personal feelings, impressions, and thoughts of the speaker; typically short; while there might be actions, there isn’t enough plot to count as a narrative; while the poems might vividly describe the physical world, the focus is largely on the internal reflections of the speaker

Romantic Poetry

the nature of the self, man’s relationship to nature, an elevation of the imagination/creativity over rationality/enlightenment, revolutionary principles such as democracy socialism, feminism, civil rights, etc.

Victorian Poetry

the value of culture and social institutions, utility and structure, the role of women in public and private spheres, restrictions on sexual expression, man’s inherent animal nature

Modernist Poetry

the self in isolation, the nature of the human mind and its processes (memory, thought patterns, dreams, etc.), technology and its ability to change humanity (for good or ill), experimentation

Postmodern Poetry

relationship between the past and the present, multiplicity of perspectives, the difficulty, but necessity, of human connection